Thermometer shaker



July 6, 1943. G. A. FLANAGAN 2,323,808

Tir-IERMOMETER SHAKER Filed Nov. 18, 1941 Attorney Patented July 6, 1943 UNITED STATES PATENT oEEICE 2,323,808 THERMOMETER SHAKER George A. Flanagan, Oakland, Calif.

Application November 18, 1941, Serial No. 419,660

(Cl. i3-373) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to improvements in thermometer shakers for shaking down the mercury in such instruments and the principal object in view is to provide a simply constructed device for use in shaking down the mercury in a large number o-f thermometers simultaneously and under the action of centrifugal force.

Other and subordinate objects are also comprehended by my invention, all of which, together with the precise nature of my improvements, will be readily understood when the succeeding description and claims are read with reference to the drawing accompanying and forming part of this specification.

In said drawing:

Figure l is a View in side elevation of the preferred embodiment of my improved shaker showing the same open,

Figure 2 is a view in edge elevation partly broken away,

Figure 3 is a view in front elevation showing the shaker closed,

Figure 4 is a fragmentary View in section showe ing one pair of opposed thermometer seating grooves.

Referring to the drawing by numerals, and rst to Figures 1 to 4, my improved thermometer shaker in its preferred embodiment comprises a pair of disk-like clamping members I, 2, hinged together, as at 3, for swinging into and from opposed engaging relation to close and open the shaker respectively. Each clamping member I, 2 is provided, diametrically opposite the hinge 3, with an edge ear d, the ears being adapted to mate when the members I, 2 are swung into engaging clamping relation. One of the ears 4 is provided with a knife edge lug 5 adapted to seat in a correspondingly shaped groove 6 in the other ear l to center the members I, 2 when the latter are swung into engaging clamp-ing relation. A set screw 6 is threaded laterally through one ear I and the lug 5 for turning into an aperture l provided in the groove 5 of the other ear to lock the members I, 2 in engaging relation. The set screw 6 also functions as a handgrip for manipulating the members I, 2 and a diunmy screw 8 maybe provided in the other ear il for a similar purpose.

The faces of the clamping members I, 2 which are opposed when said members are engaged, and which constitute the inner faces thereof, are provided with a plurality of radial grooves 9 therein, the grooves in said face of each of said members mating with those in the other when said members are engaged to thereby clamp thermometers,

trifugal force.

not shown, therein. The grooves 9 in each of said faces terminate at outer ends thereof adjacent the peripheryof the member and open at their inner ends into a circular concentric well I 0 in said face whereby one end of the thermometers may be readily grasped when said members I, 2 are swung apart so as to facilitate removal of the thermometers. In the center of each well is a concentric annular band I I forming a stop against which the inner ends of the thermometers rest, to space the thermometers equidistantly from the axis of the members I, 2 and thereby balance the members during rotation thereof.

Each clamping member I, 2 is axially bored, as at I2, so that when members I, 2 are engaged and the shaker closed it may be mounted on a suitable motor-operated spindle, not shown, for high speed rotation to shake down the mercury in the thermometers under the action of cen- As best shown in Figure 2, the clamping mem-bers I, 2 are designed to open out flat and form trays for'the thermometers which have been shaken down.

The foregoing will, it is believed, suflice to impart a clear understanding of my invention without further explanation.

Manifestly the invention is susceptible of modification in other respects than as disclosed herein, and right is reserved to such other modication falling within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

l. In a thermometer shaker for mounting on a rotary spindle to shake down the mercury under the actionV of centrifugal force, a pair of disk-like clamping members hinged together at one side thereof for swinging into and from opposed clamping relation, a series of radial grooves in each member for seating thermometers therein in radial position the series of one member being complemental to the series of the other member, and means to secure the members together in opposed clamping relation.

2. In a thermometer shaker for mounting on 'a rotary spindle to shake down the mercury under the action of centrifugal force, a pair of disk-like clamping members hinged together at one side thereof for swinging into and from opposed clamping relation, a series of radial grooves in each member for seating thermometers therein in radial position the series of one member being complemental to the series of the other member, means to secure the members together in ODDOSed clamping relation, each of said members having an annular axial well therein across which the thermometers extend and for accommodating the ngers of the hand to facilitate grasping the thermometers to remove the same when the clamping members are swung from clamping relation, and stop forming means on each member against which the inner ends of the thermometers may rest to space said ends in said well uniformly and the thermometers equidistantly from the axis of the members to thereby balance said members during rotation thereof.

3. In a thermometer shaker for mounting on a rotary spindle to shake down the mercury under the action of centrifugal force, a pair of disk-like clamping members hinged together `at one side thereof for swinging into and from opposed clamping relation, a series of radial grooves in each member for seating thermometers therein in radial position the series of one member being complemental to the series of the other member, and means to secure the members together in opposed clamping relation, said members being axially bored for mounting on said spindle.

4. In a thermometer shaker for mounting on a rotary spindle to shake down the mercury under the action of centrifugal force, a pair of disklike clamping members hinged together at one side thereof for swinging into and from opposed clamping relation, a series of radial grooves in each member for seating thermometers therein in radial position the series of one member being complemental to the series of the other member, and means to secure the members together in opposed clamping relation, each of said members having an annular well therein across which the thermometers extend and for accommodating the ngers of the hand to facilitate grasping the thermometers to remove the same when the clamping members are swung from clamping relation.

GEORGE A. FLANAGAN. 

